Miss my posts!

I have been insanely busy this week and really miss posting my thoughts. It's cathartic somehow! We are throwing our 3rd Annual Christmas Open House here tomorrow and I've been in panic mode all week trying to get the house cleaned, decluttered and decorated in time. Right now I'm totally procrastinating!! I've got a load of LC's laundry sitting next to me waiting to be folded, a load of the girls laundry waiting to be unloaded from the dryer and a load of our laundry wating to go INTO the dryer. Plus about 3 loads waiting their turn on the floor of the laundry room to be cleaned. Sigh. When will someone invent self-cleaning, self-ironing, self-folding clothes?!

So what's been happening lately ...
The girls have been loving the Advent Calendar and I think have got over their disappointment that every day's box doesn't contain chocolates. We've done some fun things like make shortbread ...

... make sugar cookies ...

(as you can see, the Quality Assurance Test was a success!)

... and make a sign for the back of the calendar.

I decided to put the girls' hand prints onto the back to commemorate them as they are now so years from now we'll remember just how little they once were. Sometimes that's hard to remember, especially when I have to buy them new winter boots and they look so BIG!! I swear, Marley's looked big enough to fit me!!! Sigh.

As much as I want time to speed up so they can be more independent (and less reliant on me for every little thing!) it really sucks that time goes by so fast. Just yesterday Marley was starting preschool and now Paige is earing those clothes!! LC is crawling! Yup, you heard it here first. She started truly crawling yesterday. Our life as we knew it is over!!!

Well, I must stop procrastinating and get back to work. Enjoy the photos. I've had to dismantle my scrap room and turn it back into it's original purpose - ie. the dining room! - for the party so there will be no scrapping posts from me for awhile. Bummer. I miss my paper already!! I've really got to find a better place to set up. Maybe my bedroom?

Well, when I started this post it was around 2:00 in the afternoon ... it's now 10:30PM. I've folded laundry, cleaned, decorated, fed children, wrapped presents, and had an enjoyable evening at my brothers. I'm wiped so I'm heading to bed as soon as I hit "Publish Post". I got to give one of my Aunts her Christmas gift tonight and I did remember to take pictures of it beforehand to post later. She is heading to Glasgow tomorrow to spend Christmas with my other Aunt so I will not post the pics until after Christmas. Just in case she reads this! Wouldn't want to ruin the surprise!! My Aunt really liked the gift and my sister-in-law couldn't believe I made it so I think it's pretty good! Kind of funny, 'cus it took me no time at all to do! Lol!!

Today I am thankful for ...

... girls who realize that a heartfelt apology goes much farther than a pouting fit ...

... baby smiles ...

... family.

Good night all!